ISL 7: Not happy, we were not comfortable in first half, says Lobera
Panaji (Goa) [India], January 17 (ANI): After playing out a goalless draw against Hyderabad FC, Mumbai City FC coach Sergio Lobera said that he is not happy with the side's performance and he added that the team was not comfortable in the first half.
Mumbai City FC and Hyderabad FC played out an evenly fought goalless draw in the Indian Super League (ISL) match at the GMC Stadium, Bambolim, on Saturday. In a match where both teams failed to convert many chances, it was Hyderabad who turned up stronger on the day denying any goal to the relentless Mumbai attack.
Coach Manuel Marquez seemed to have prepared well for the Mumbai Test. The Nizams pinned their opponents with their high pressing approach, thus nullifying Mumbai's danger. Lobera's men were doing everything right, except for the final delivery.
"Hyderabad played well. We didn't play the same way as we did in the other games. I am not happy because we always want to win three points. We are a strong team. We keep the ball. But today we played against a team similar to us. We were not comfortable in the first half. We are strong with the ball and we need to be passing it," said Lobera during the post-match press conference.
"I prefer to avoid risk and try to recover players. There are no excuses. I have a very good squad. It is not that we lost two points because one player is not available to play. It's not about one player," he added.
Midfielder Hernan Santana had received a yellow card and as a result, he will miss the next fixture against East Bengal. Lobera, however, is not bothered by the situation as he believes in his squad's strength.
"It's the same situation as Boumous. One player is not enough to get three points, But my concern is that it is not possible to lose one player because he's speaking to the referee," said Lobera.
Mumbai City is currently at the top of ISL standings with 26 points from 11 games. The side will next take on East Bengal on Friday. (ANI)
